


Not All Things to All People

by RobinsonsWereHere



Category: Psych
Genre: (blame karen), Action, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Denial, F/M, Henry might be able to call maddie's bluff, Identity Crises, Making Out, Non-Graphic Smut, Romance, angst later on, biweekly posting schedule, heavy cursing, if he weren't so in love, if s h e weren't so in love, is this cliche? i don't care, love complicates things, lying, lying in relationships, madry, questioning loyalties, she might be able to follow her orders, spy AU, thanks to claire for the ship name lol, wanted fugitives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2020-01-02
Packaged: 2020-02-16 03:24:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 17
Words: 20,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18683161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RobinsonsWereHere/pseuds/RobinsonsWereHere
Summary: Madeline Baker works for an underground intelligence operation- The Roshton Company, or R-Co for short.Henry Spencer is the lead detective on an SBPD investigation into R-Co.Maddie's bosses send her in to keep tabs on the investigation. She gets closer to Henry than she should.Henry falls in love and does not realize that the woman he's in love with is connected to the people he's investigating. Or maybe  he wouldn't care.





	1. Operation: Distraction

**Author's Note:**

  * For [myglassesaredirty](https://archiveofourown.org/users/myglassesaredirty/gifts).



Madeline Baker sits in a leather office chair, listening intently. She has a pen in her hand but the page in front of her is blank; she will remember it all and taking notes on the details of a mission is a foolish practice that often results in leaked information. Her ability to remember anything she hears puts her a step above many of her fellow operatives. With the sensitivity of this assignment, the fact that she needs far less paper than others is probably a key reason why she’d gotten the job. And what a job it is.

Madeline works for The Roshton Company, an intelligence organization based mainly in Arizona, with satellite locations in California and New Mexico. It is, to put it frankly, illegal. If you can think of a crime, someone affiliated with R-Co has committed it. Money laundering? Done more often than clothes laundering. Political bribery? Easier to tailor to your wishes than the electoral college. Murder? Unpleasant, but necessary. At any rate, it’s not at all good that the Santa Barbara Police are looking into them. Their California base in the Simi Valley is only a county over from SBPD jurisdiction, so it’s safe to say her bosses are getting a little uncomfortable. Their solution? Send Maddie in to collect information and keep tabs on the investigation. If the police get too close, they’ll go from there. The operation has the potential to be long-term, her boss warns her. She has two days to become Madalena De Rosa before attending a gala at which a majority of the SBPD will be present.

Maddie stands as soon as he shuts up for thirty consecutive seconds. “Well, I guess I should get packing.”

“Baker, this is gonna be tricky like nothing’s been tricky before,” her boss warns her.

“Relax, Hargrave. I know what I’m doing.” With one last confident smirk in his direction, Maddie sweeps out the door.

|||||||||||||||||

Two days turns out to be more than enough time. By the night of the 31st Annual Earthquake Relief Gala, Maddie has become quite comfortable in her new life as a young photographer. She’s done some pieces for local papers before, and she’s absolutely thrilled to be able to attend the event tonight. She’s fully prepared to mingle and make small talk, but for now, she starts on an upper balcony, observing the revelers below.

The lead officer on the case is Henry Spencer. She can just make him out, talking with a woman in an emerald green jumpsuit. The way the two of them stand close makes Maddie frown a bit- she’s not all that fond of seducing her marks (too pulp fiction-y, if you ask her) but she’s not above a little flirting. However, in the next moment the woman turns, and Maddie notices two things. One, the woman has an engagement ring on her finger, two, she’s none other than Detective Karen Dunlap- Spencer’s partner. Alright, then. The flirting option isn’t entirely off the table.

On her way out, Hargrave had actively warned her against going after Spencer directly. Maddie, however, was nothing if not efficient. She had a simple, solid cover and years of experience and training. Why shouldn’t she shoot for the bullseye? And besides, Hargrave isn’t even here. Maddie straightens her spine and sways her hips just a bit as she heads down the stairs and toward the pair of detectives. _Here goes nothing._

|||||||||||||||||

Henry and Karen are analyzing their fellow gala-goers, mainly for Karen’s benefit- Richard had another work event to go to, so she’s bored and the only thing she enjoys is observing interpersonal dynamics. Henry jokes that if she applied that skill to actually talking to people, she’d make a great diplomat. This makes her scoff. “Black suit, red tie,” she says, sipping her drink. “He’s too stiff, he’s new here. New money, based on the fact that he probably honestly thinks a suit that shiny looks nice.”

Henry plays along, searching the crowd for an interesting target. He finds one and promptly chokes on his drink. “Uh. Coral dress, blonde hair,” he gasps. “Looks like she knows what she’s doing, _I’d_ like to know what she’s doing, oh, shit, I think she’s coming over here.”

Karen smirks and pats him on the shoulder. “Have fun. I need a refill.”

 _”We haven’t even been here for an hour,”_ he hisses. She tips her whiskey glass at him and saunters off. Before he can hide behind a potted plant, the bombshell blonde is directing her sharp blue gaze and radiant smile at him.

“Hi! I’m Madalena, but my friends call me Maddie. I was part of the press team after the Robertson case; is it true that you are the detective responsible for bringing in one of California’s most wanted intelligence operatives?”

(She knows it’s true, but she’s not even that fussed about it- Robertson had been flashy and arrogant. The best spies never even make the watchlist, let alone the most wanted.)

He gives her a grin that is, to put it bluntly, sexy. “Is this on tape?”

“Nope.” She pops the ‘p’ and takes a step closer. “I’m just… impressed. I hear he slipped through a lot of people’s fingers.”

“Well, I uh, had help.” His gaze keeps flicking from her lips to her eyes and back again. “Uh, my partner, she’s over- of course, she’s disappeared.” He laughs a bit.

“Oh, shame,” Maddie deadpans. “We’re all alone at a fancy party with music and people dancing. How could we possibly entertain ourselves?”

Henry smirks and raises an eyebrow. “Do you dance, Maddie?”

||||||||||||||||||

Maddie hadn’t had high expectations for this operation a few days ago, but as she and Henry stroll across the roof, she’s near-giddy with happiness. It might also be the champagne, but alcohol or no, she’s had a great night. Henry is an extraordinary dancer, a smooth flirt, and a clever conversationalist. She’s learned quite a few useful details on his R-Co investigation, but she’s also spent a majority of the time laughing and joking with him.

“I think there’ll be fireworks tonight,” Henry comments, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Oh, and will we be able to see them from here?” Maddie wraps her hands around his bicep- an impressive muscle- and leans into his side.

“We should be,” he replies. “Hey, there’s a railing on the edge, do you want to get closer?”

Maddie nods. “Seems like a nice view.”

It is a nice view- a starry night sky above them and shimmering river below. Henry’s arm goes around Maddie’s shoulder and she leans into him with a happy sigh and a smile. They stand there for a few minutes, and then the fireworks begin.

“Should we toast?” Henry holds up his champagne glass as the colors explode around them.

“My glass is empty.”

“Huh.” He smirks at her. “Well, what else do people do when there are fireworks?”

“Besides watch them, you mean?”

They’re far too close now, Maddie’s hands on his chest and Henry’s breath ghosting over her lips. “Besides that,” he murmurs.

She hums. “I can think of one other option.”

Henry presses his lips to hers and she kisses him soundly as the fireworks burst above them.


	2. Of Course I'm Not Stalking You! Why Would I Be Stalking You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's rather hard to avoid someone while also tracking their every move, Maddie learns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really excited to write the next chapter of this bc it's got my fave scene (so far).

It’s been over a month since the Earthquake Relief gala, and still, Henry can’t get Maddie out of his head. He’d realized after the fact that he had no way to contact her, not even a last name to search for at local papers. _She did say she was a reporter, didn’t she? Or did I imagine that?_ Recently, he’s begun to question his memories of that night- everything after she’d appeared, with her aura of mystery and mischief, is clouded in a dream-like haze.

It’s a sunny spring morning, warm enough that it will be uncomfortable come the afternoon and the heat of the sun. But for now it’s pleasant and Henry is content to walk beneath the budding trees with his grocery bags on his arms. This tiny supermarket is barely a ten minute walk from his apartment, and he rarely buys more than two or three day’s worth of food at a time- not a problem for him to carry. 

Deep in thought, Henry almost doesn’t notice the familiar face in the crowd of a local bakery, but a flash of motion catches his eye. He turns his head out of reflex and, through the window, sees her. She’s almost hidden in the throng of people, but she’s right there, and she is, undeniably, watching him. Henry stares for maybe five seconds and as soon as she makes eye contact with him, she disappears. He doesn’t hesitate before running across the street, groceries forgotten, traffic ignored. Honestly it’s a damn miracle he doesn’t get hit by a car, but he’s not even thinking about that as he bursts into the bakery. There’s a flight of stairs leading up from the corner behind the counter and he just catches a glimpse of pale blonde hair sweeping around the edge. Breathless, he approaches the woman at the register.

“Excuse me,” he asks, “do you own this place?”

She’s young, can’t be thirty, with piercings in her ears and nose and a dragon tattoo just visible on her neck. “With my man, yeah,” she replies, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder. “How come?”

“Is there an apartment on the second floor? I, uh, have a friend who gave me this address, but I’m not sure this is the place.”

Is he being extremely sketchy? Yeah. Does he really care? Not as much as he should.

“We rent it out.” The barista narrows her eyes. “A friend of mine lives up there, but I don’t think she knows you.” With that, she pivots and heads for the stairs, stopping only once to direct an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture at him. He notices she’s got a pastry knife tucked into her belt.

Henry really hopes he’s not going to regret this.

||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Maddie is standing by the window of her new apartment, definitely not watching for Henry to walk down the street below, when Genevieve Flanders comes up the stairs. “Baker, you’ve got a friend at the counter asking for you. He’s the SBPD detective, I can tell him to fuck off if you want.”

_Shit, he saw me come up here._ “Nah, he’s my target- it’ll be easier to get information out of him if I actually know him.”

Her fellow agent raises an eyebrow. “Risky.”

Maddie winks. “You know it.” With that, she heads downstairs. Sure enough, Henry Spencer is standing at the counter, his brow furrowed. When he sees her he lights up. “Maddie! I, uh…”

She smirks and grabs two breakfast croissants, gesturing to a table for two in the corner. “You weren’t stalking me, were you?”

“Um, no, I, uh…”

“I’m just playing with you,” she jokes. “So, what brings you to The Nickel Pumper?”

“Wait, this place is called The Nickel Pumper?”

“Like the bread. Pumpernickel.”

“Yeah, I get it.” He chuckles. “That’s funny.”

Maddie waits a few seconds for Henry to explain himself, but he only nibbles at his croissant. “So?” she prompts. “If you aren’t following me…”

_The funny thing about this,_ she thinks, _is that I’m the one following him._

“Oh, I just, uh, saw you outside, and I wanted to say hi.” He rubs a hand over the back of his neck. “I guess badgering your friend about where you lived was a bit on the creepy side.”

“Just a bit,” Maddie laughs. “Honestly, I’m surprised you weren’t drawn here by the delicious odors. I mean, half the time I’m tempted to blow my entire budget on all the delicious things I can smell from my place upstairs.”

“You live here, then?”

“Yeah. Genevieve and Jason had to buy the whole building from the last owner but they didn’t have any use for the upstairs apartment, so they rented it out.”

Henry makes a noise of understanding around his croissant. “Well, I’m, uh, glad I ran into you.”

Maddie’s really not; until today she’d been watching him from afar and reporting back to her boss, which works just fine for her. When she’s face to face with him, it’s a lot harder to stop thinking about the kindness in his smile and how softly he’d kissed her, on the roof.

“Yeah, glad we can… stay in touch.”

He gives her that extremely attractive grin again. “Do you want my number?”

She already has it- it was part of the file she was given on him. “Sure, read it out.” He does, and she pretends to enter new information into her phone. Once he’s done, she texts him.

_Hi ;)_

He’s still giving her that _look_ as he replies.

**Can I take you to dinner?**

The voice in her head say no. The voice in her head says she’s already too close to him, that she’s playing with fire and if she’s not careful, she’s going to get burned.

_Pick me up at 7._

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

Henry laughs loudly as Maddie recounts the story of the time her older brother had been snitched on by the cat when he tried to sneak in late at night. “Did you ever sneak out?”

She gasps and feigns offense. “Me? _Never._ I was an angel child.” She winks.

“Angel seems accurate,” he flirts. She blushes, and he’s enraptured by it, the way her fair skin turns pink and her smile grows. “You’ve got some freckles,” he notices. He reaches up to trace the smattering of dots, but somehow, he ends up cupping her cheek in his hand.

“I thought you were supposed to kiss me when we said goodbye,” she teases.

“Well, I can kiss you then too.”

“Hard to argue with that kind of logic.” He kisses her for the second time, and it’s even better than the first. Her mouth is hot on his and her hands bunch in his shirt and he cups her face with both hands, sinking into the kiss. When they break apart, his eyes stay closed for a few seconds.

“Think you can manage to walk me the rest of the way back? You look a little out of it.”

“Well, that’s your fault.” He links his arm with hers and points an accusing index finger as they walk. “You’re a damn good kisser, Mad.”

She leans into him, which makes him even happier than he already is. “You’re not so bad yourself.” He puts an arm around her and they continue down the block, finally stopping in front of the bakery. Maddie glances through the window, looking almost nervous. _I guess that’s fair,_ Henry thinks. _Friends can be annoying as hell when it comes to your love life._ She’s smiling softly when she turns back to him. “I had fun tonight, Thank you.”

“I did too, Maddie.” Henry brushes her hair out of her face. “Do you… want to do this again sometime?”

She nods. “How about… lunch Sunday?”

“Sounds perfect.” And then she pulls him closer and kisses him, and Henry almost melts.

“Goodnight, Henry.”

“Goodnight.”

He’s still standing in front of the bakery long after she disappears. He doesn’t look up, though, and doesn’t see her watching him through the upstairs window.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I Won't Say I'm in Love from Hercules plays*


	3. Fall For You (Give Me a Reason Not To)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry is very in love. Maddie is very in denial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is exactly 1k words. it's very satisfying

Maddie is running late for her meeting with Hargrave, and it is _so_ not her fault. Henry had kept her attention long after they’d paid for their lunch with his interesting stories and ridiculous jokes. She’d laughed and teased and thought about kissing him until the waiters had politely kicked them out. Only once they were leaving had she noticed the time, which had prompted her to stammer some excuse about a photo gallery viewing, kiss his cheek, and flee the scene. It’s almost three now, and she needs to be halfway across the city in… two minutes. Fuck.

Thankfully, she makes it to the rendezvous on time after she steals a motorcycle. It’s a nice bike, and she thinks she’d like one similar to it, but this one will probably be reported stolen soon- stealing on a whim means she doesn’t get to research the owner- so she’ll have to ditch it later tonight. Regardless, she’s rushing into R-Co’s law office front at three o’clock on the dot. She flops sideways into the old leather armchair with a smirk. “Hargrave, how’s life?”

“More complicated as soon as you enter my office, Baker,” he responds, not looking up. “How would you say the assignment is going so far?”

“Smoothly. I’m staying out of the way, but the officers who do know me, trust me. Information gathering is… not difficult, and I’ve been able to easily keep tabs on their investigation. As of right now, they’re nowhere near us- they stalled after they pinned Robertson, and he’s not talking.”

“Nor should he, if he knows what’s good for him. Keep an ear out for intel on that- if it seems like he’s close to cracking, we’ll get rid of him before he can talk.” 

“I can do that. How is this going from your perspective?” 

“Exceptionally well. Your intel is good and you’re not rocking the boat.” Hargrave fixes her with a steely glare. “Don’t fuck this up.”

She grins. “Don’t worry. You know me.”

:::::::::::::::::::::

Karen sits in the passenger seat of Henry’s car, her seat reclined and her feet on the dash. It’s a Sunday evening, and she could be at home with Richard playing poker, with or without clothing, but no, she just _had_ to get called to a stakeout. And for a case that has all but gone cold since they caught one of the perps, no less. She doesn’t even like that guy- she doesn’t like any criminals, but this particular man- Robinson or something- had managed to get loose of the handcuffs and get a hand on her leg before she’d broken his wrist. People like him are why she doesn’t wear skirts.

Muttering unflattering things about sexist perps under her breath, Karen shifts, stretching. Absolutely nothing has changed with the actual stakeout. Incredibly bored, she turns to her partner.

“Wow, you must be really focused, you haven’t told me to get my feet off the dash yet.”

He chuckles and continues staring out the window, clearly lost in his head.

“Henry, are you gonna tell me what you’re grinning about, or do I have to sit here and suffer while you daydream?”

He shrugs. “Met a girl.”

“Yeah? I thought you were still stuck on that reporter chick from the gala.”

Henry grins at her. “Yeah, that’s her. That’s Maddie. She’s the most spectacular woman I’ve ever met.”

Karen narrows her eyes. “How long have you known her?”

“Uh, I… ran into her on Wednesday, and we went to dinner. We had lunch together this afternoon.”

“You just happened to run into the girl you’re crushing on, whom you haven’t seen in a month and a half, and all of a sudden you’re going out with her?”

“I know it’s kinda weird, but there’s just something about her, y’know? I mean, her name is _Madalena._ Even that sounds magical.”

Karen just shakes her head, huffing out a laugh. “You’ve got it bad.”

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::

 

Maddie is writing up a report on her preliminary assessment of the SBPD’s R-Co investigation when Henry walks into the bakery. She smiles and waves when he sees her, quickly minimizing the window and opening photo software instead.

“Hey stranger,” he says, his smile wide. She can’t help but return the gesture when her presses a kiss to the back of her hand. God, she’s trying to be exasperated and frustrated that she can’t get work done, but it’s incredibly difficult when he’s looking at her with those bright blue eyes, when he looks like she’s the answer to every question he’s ever asked.

“Are you playing hooky today?” she teases.

“Nah, there were a few dead bodies in the next alley over. Forensics are taking care of those, so I’ve got about a half hour before anyone misses me.”

_Half an hour. You can spend half an hour with him without falling behind on your work. What could it hurt?_ Maddie finally closes her laptop. “Well, I hear there’s a nice walking trail near here. I mean, maybe I shouldn’t be roaming the streets with a murderer on the loose, but I think I’d feel safe with a strong, badass cop with me.” Literally batting her eyelashes is kind of overkill, but Henry takes it for the joke that it is, laughing aloud.

“I’d be happy to… escort you, but I think the trails should be safe. It looks like a mugging gone wrong, and those normally only happen in the city proper.”

Maddie takes his hand and lets herself relax. From what he’s told her, it’s highly unlikely that this is related to R-Co, so she can just enjoy spending time with Henry and not worry about case information. Not that this is another date. She’s just… familiarizing herself with the target. No feelings whatsoever.

And if she hopes that maybe he’ll kiss her when they get to the bridge by the waterfall, well, she’s never been one to half-ass a cover story.


	4. Careful

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After learning a critical piece of information from Henry, Maddie has to make a plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> apologies for any typos i'm rushing to get this updated so i'm not proofreading :)

Maddie gets closer and closer to Henry as the weeks go by, and at the same time, she learns more and more about the SBPD’s investigation. Many nights, they’ll end up on Henry’s couch, her wrapped around his chest and him playing with her hair as he tells her about his day. It’s doubly nice because she can enjoy the physical affection while also giving herself the excuse that she’s only doing it to obtain information.

“There’s this guy we caught a few months ago,” henry explains, running his fingers through her hair. “Not a nice man. Works for an illegitimate espionage company. Made a few crude passes at my partner.”

Maddie hums in agreement. Even from the perspective of one of his colleagues, Robertson was a jackass.

“Anyway, I think we’re making progress,” Henry continues. “We linked him to a Ponzi Scheme across a dozen corporations and five continents. He can lessen his own sentence by giving us names, and it seems like he’s open to that.”

Maddie’s well-trained enough that her wince is only internal. “Good luck,” she utters into his shoulder.

Henry kisses her head, and then her nose when she looks up. “Technically I’m not supposed to be telling you this. But you can keep a secret, right?”

Maddie kisses him on the lips to keep from laughing. _Oh, the irony._ “Of course.”

He grins and kisses her back. “I knew I could trust you.”

::::::::::::::::::::::

The next morning, Maddie is up early, hacking into the SBPD database. She’d declined to spend the night at Henry’s, and if he’d found that strange, he hadn’t pushed her. Much to her chagrin, further conversation had confirmed her suspicions that Robertson was close to talking. Now, she’s rather stuck.

The sooner she tells Hargrave, the easier it will be to get Robertson out before he squeals. But Henry had made it clear that she was the only one he’d told, so acting immediately could jeopardize her cover.

Right now, she’s just trying to find more information to corroborate Henry’s story. But the SBPD database is like a spiderweb- she can’t find all the information on one case in a single spot. _Kudos to them, I guess._

Although she accidentally wastes a lot of time reading a report attached to Captain Connors’ file that is merely a summary and of no use to her, eventually, Maddie hits the jackpot. Detective Karen Dunlap, Henry’s partner, has a report from the interrogation that fully matches what Henry had told her. And the official report, unlike Henry’s story, has details such as dates, times, cell numbers, and badge numbers of involved officers.

Closing her computer, Maddie pulls up the meditation app on her phone. Five minutes later, she feels much better about the whole thing. All she needs to do is continue her research and take the time to come up with a solid plan. If she does it right, not only will it take enough time to avoid suspicion falling on herself, she’ll pull it off so nicely that there won’t be a shred of a lead for the cops to follow.

Maddie grins and grabs her laptop once again. _Let’s get started._

::::::::::::::::

 

Henry folds his arms, glaring at Jerry. “I’m sorry, Carp. You’re the Head Detective, so why does it seem like you’re trying to blame _me_ for losing Robertson?”

“Gee, I don’t know, Henry, maybe because it’s your damn case!”

“Wow, Jerry,” Brett interrupts, “how convenient that you play the ‘head detective’ card every time Henry or I make a breakthrough, but when something goes wrong, all of the sudden it’s his case again.”

“Connors, you don’t know what the hell you’re talking about-”

“Oh, sure, he’s the dumbass, Detective _dipstick-”_

“Jesus! Would all of you just shut up!” Karen slamming a hand on her desk effectively quells the argument. “Look at this,” she says, gesturing to her desk full of paperwork. “I’m reviewing all of our resources on The Roshton Company to see who might be helping our escapee. I’m also reviewing footage of the holding cells and trying to pinpoint his escape. And what are you three doing?”

“Yelling too loud.”

“Letting testosterone replace brain function.”

“Not what we’re supposed to be doing.”

All three men rather sheepishly shuffle back to their desks. As Henry is walking around Karen, he notices a flicker on the screen showing the cell footage. Looking closer, he sees that it’s a shadow changing.

“Hey, Karen, I think this is looped footage.”

Her head snaps up from her paperwork. “What?”

He reaches over her to rewind the video a bit. “Watch the shadow by the filing cabinet.”

“Damn,” she murmurs when she spots it. “I should’ve seen that.”

“You probably would’ve, if Jerry wasn’t over here causing a fuss,” Brett points out, glowering in the direction Carp had gone.

“Not important right now,” Karen dismisses. “Someone get me a computer tech, ASAP.”

:::::::::::::::::::::

Maddie’s in Henry’s lap this time when he tells her about his day. There’s no denying it. And when she turns to face him, intent on gleaning more information about his investigation, her lips are mere centimeters from his.

“The only thing we’ve got right now is a glitch in the video,” he murmurs, trailing off when his eyes meet hers.

“Yeah? Like a camera defect?” Her breath is shaky but she presses on, trying to prioritize her mission.

“Not really… more like looped footage.” He sighs and his breath blows over her lips. “We worked for hours and got nowhere. It’s pretty damn frustrating.”

Satisfied that her hack is holding, Maddie decides she can do what she really, really wants to do at the moment. She idly runs a hand up Henry’s formed bicep and then down his muscular chest. “Well, would you like me to help… relieve some tension?”

He smirks, and now that she’s in his lap and three seconds from a makeout session, Maddie will admit to herself that that smirk of his is sexy. She decides she’ll kiss it off of him.

He kisses her back soundly, enough that she moans into the kiss. His hands are in her hair and skating down her spine and everything feels so _good_ that she just melts onto him.

“Damn, Mad,” Henry says hoarsely. Maddie is still too high on pleasure for words, so she dips her head to his neck and presses soft kisses that turn into small bites that end with her leaving a full-out hickey high on his neck. Henry swears, and then kisses her thoroughly once more, before trailing his lips down her neck to her collarbone. Maddie’s breaths are coming in short gasps.

This continues for a long while. Henry is hesitant to remove clothes, and Maddie respects that, though she does encourage him to let his hands wander when he finds her chest. Maddie’s own hands are mostly fisted in Henry’s shirt or threading through his hair- she just loves the feel of him so much that she never wants to let go.

Unfortunately, her cell phone rings.

Maddie curses Hargrave under her breath for the entire drive to his office.


	5. Eye of the Hurricane

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> maddie's such a badass

Henry is chatting amicably with Brett at the coffee station when Karen interrupts his calm morning with a wolf-whistle. Now, normally Karen despises wolf whistles and will glare at anyone who makes the sound, so of course, Henry is confused. He turns and raises an eyebrow at her. “Do you need something?”

She smirks and leans against the doorway. “I guess things are working out with you and that reporter chick.”

Henry’s brow furrows. “Huh?”

Jerry appears in the doorway next to Karen and shakes his head, clucking his tongue. “Spencer, I shouldn’t have to tell you that a hickey is not dress code appropriate.”

At this, Brett paces around to face Henry from the front. “Hang on, what? Oh my god, okay, you’re so a bottom.”

“Of course he is, Connors,” Karen scoffs. “Have you ever seen him lead when we’re busting down doors? Ever? Even once?”

Henry can feel himself turning bright red. “Hey,” he protests weakly.

Jerry folds his arms. "I don’t care about this shit, but you need to cover that up. Somehow.”

Karen stops laughing long enough to take pity on him. “C’mon, Spencer, I have concealer.”

\-----

Maddie’s satisfied smile disappears when she realizes Robertson is also in her meeting with Hargrove. “Hey, what gives?” she demands.

Hargrove straightens the papers on his desk. “I thought I’d give Mr. Robertson a chance to thank you properly.”

“Whatever. I owe you one, Baker.”

“Also, he’s been telling me some interesting things- now of course, we both know that’s only an attempt to make me forget he was close to betraying us-” her boss cuts a disapproving glance toward her colleague- “but still, cops never seem to realize that the people they’re interrogating are listening too.” He leans forward. “Madeline, he’s heard some interesting things about the lead officer on the case being involved with a mysterious reporter.”

Maddie doesn’t even blink. Years of training and practice have taught her to feel very little emotion, but definitely not to show it, if she does. She presses her lips together and arches an eyebrow. “This may come as a shock to you, but there’s more than one reporter in Santa Barbara.”

“Really, Baker, you’re gonna be a smart-ass to your boss when you’re playing with fire? That’s really how you wanna do this?”

“I’m getting information, Hargrove, and I’m giving it to you. I got this bastard-” she jerks a thumb at Robertson- “out before he snitched. Are you gonna let me keep doing my job, or are you gonna question my methods while the cops are still trying to figure out how the hell their prisoner escaped?”

Hargrove is silent. Maddie decides it’s time for her mic drop. Standing up, she leans over the desk, her next words practically hissed in her boss’ face. “It’s a sticky situation, Hargrove. If you try to pull me out of it…” her fingers drum on the polished wood of the desk. “...you might get stuck too.”

She walks out of the office without another word.

\-----

Henry is a good cop. He does his paperwork on time, with minimal complaint. He follows the rules and doesn’t cause a ruckus. All of this should lead to a pleasant experience in the station, but today, as he tries to mind his own business and do his own work, his wonderful but aggravating friends interrupt.

“You’re red as a fucking lobster, Henry,” Brett teases. “What, were you a virgin or something?”

“We had this conversation the last time you spiked the punch at the holiday party. I’m waiting for the right girl.”

Karen’s eyebrows go up. “Still waiting? Did you get cold feet or something? Most women don’t leave marks like those on guys they’re gonna reject when everything gets going.”

Henry decides it’s time to give some snark of his own. “You would know. I practically had to beach my eyes after seeing you and Richard making out at the beach picnic last month.”

She gives him a dangerous smile and turns back to her desk. Worried, Henry cranes his neck to see what she’s doing. Her table football hits him square in the forehead. “Hey!”

“Seriously, Spencer,” Brett continues, “did you sleep with her or not?”

Henry folds his arms across his chest. “None of your damn business. Do your fucking paperwork, Brett.”

He’d love to wax poetic about the way Maddie had flushed when his hands ran over her skin, the starry look in her eyes as she’d kissed him senseless. He’d love to brag that when she wants to, he’s fully ready to make love to her until she’s gasping for breath. But he respects Maddie- he respects everyone- and he’s not going to share personal details just because his friends are being nosy. Some things are for him and Maddie, and only him and Maddie.

\-----

Maddie sits on Henry’s counter, swinging her legs and sipping her beer. “Good day at work today?”

Henry nods. “Broke up a gang fight- no casualties. Also, Karen and Brett teased me forever about the marks you left last night.”

She smirks and fingers the collar of her own shirt, where she knows there are pink and purple bruises still. “Can you blame me? I mean, your neck is amazing, but let’s be real- your whole body is fucking sculpted. How much time do you spend in the gym?”

He shrugs. “I try to go six hours a week. Three on the weekend and three one-hour segments during the work week.” His brows knit and his head tilts as if he’s thinking. “Y’know, I could use a workout buddy, if you wanted. Just so I don’t get lonely.”

Leaning back on her hands, Maddie considers. For one, she’d have to tone down her abilities a bit- a journalist probably doesn’t know six forms of martial arts, and probably can’t run for twelve hours straight. But really, a light workout would be nice, to stay in shape. And she can’t say no to more time with Henry.

Jumping off the counter, she presses a kiss to his cheek. “That would be great, Henry.”

He beams and kisses her on the lips. “I hope you can keep up.”

Maddie decides she’d like some more kisses. “Babe, stop talking before you make a fool of yourself.

His lips still against hers, henry lifts her right onto the counter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> claire you were dead on when you talked about Maddie's muscle kink


	6. Tread Carefully

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie does Spy Things. Her relationship with Henry progresses to another level.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is up a day early because I'm traveling tomorrow!

Maddie is eating breakfast at the cafe, having a very nice morning. Nobody is bothering her. It’s drizzling a bit outside, but the weather just makes the warm cafe with its smell of bread and gentle music feel even cozier. She smiles into her mug of coffee. _Today is going to be a good day._

“Bacon egg and cheese sandwich on a croissant,” Genevieve says, and then, “did you hear Robertson is back on the case?”

Maddie’s eyes widen and she almost chokes on her first bite of croissant. “Wha’? How?”

“How do you think? Money. He and Hargrave have had some shady sort of deal for years.”

She swallows. “He’s insane- no, both of them are. Robertson can’t be on this! He’s already been arrested! If he screws up- which he will- it will compromise the investigation!”

Gen leans over, resting her forearms on the table as she rolls her eyes. “You know that, and I know that, but the only thing Fred Hargrave knows is how much money is in his wallet.”

Maddie glares at her meal. “Alright. If you can put Jason behind the counter, I think it’s time for you and I to make plan.”

\---

The looped video has been sent to the tech guys for processing, so Henry and Karen are on stakeout duty for a different case. It’s not bad, as far as stakeouts go- they’re seated at an outdoor restaurant, watching for one particular customer who’s been stalking and blackmailing one of the waiters, who’s her ex-boyfriend.

“Do we have a description of this girl?” Karen asks.

“Blonde, tan, tall, wears nice dresses and carries an expensive purse.”

Karen blinks. “So, eighty percent of the women in Santa Barbara, then.”

Henry grimaces as he nods. “You won’t be surprised to hear this is Jerry delegating his low-interest cases.”

“God, that prick. He must be getting back at us for putting salt in his coffee last week.”

“Us?” Henry raises an eyebrow at his partner. “Karen, that was all you.”

“Oh, right, you just stood in the background sniggering. Like always.”

He smacks her on the arm. She smacks him back. They’re engaging in a full-out slap-fight when she pauses. “Hey, look at her.”

Henry frowns. “Who?”

“Blonde matching the description with the Asian woman next to her. They look casual but their body language says whatever they’re discussing isn’t something they want other people to know.”

Henry nods to indicate that he’s picking up on the same thing, but as he watches them more, he recognizes the blonde. “Hang on, that’s not our girl. That’s Maddie!”

Karen nods. “Alright then… hmmm, who else?”

Henry goes to leave the table, but she pulls him down. 

“I just wanna go say hi!”

“Spencer, be a professional. No personal conversations on stakeouts.”

“Really? Is that a rule?” Henry gives her a taunting smile. “Because last week, when we had that late-night op, the phone conversation you had with Richard sounded _very_ personal.”

She glares at him. “Fine, go talk to your girlfriend.”

Henry is sure he’s grinning like an idiot as he bounds across the patio. “Hey, Mad! Out for lunch?” He thinks he recognizes the woman with her as the owner of the bakery.

Her head whips around when she hears him, and she smiles, walking over to where he’s standing. “Oh, just looking around. I think we’ll end up at a place further down. Why are you here?”

“Official business,” he sighs, putting air quotes around the word ‘official’. “We’re looking for a stalker chick who frequents this restaurant.”

Maddie’s nose wrinkles- which is adorable- and she pouts at him. “So I guess that means you’re not allowed to kiss me right now?”

He chuckles lowly, stepping into her personal space. “Not technically… but that rule gets broken a lot.” He dips his head down as she rises to her tiptoes, and the kiss the share is long and sweet, leaving Henry feeling warm despite the foggy day.

“Good luck finding your girl,” Maddie murmurs, wiping her finger over his lips to rid them of her lipstick. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Henry grabs her hand before she can lower it and kisses her knuckles. “I’ll see you tonight. Love you.”

She blinks. “What?”

Henry’s brow furrows. “What? I love you.”

“You love me.” Maddie’s eyes are wide, and Henry has a feeling he’s missing something.

“Yes, I do. You’re my girlfriend. I love you, I love everything about you.”

He’s sure her wince at that is just his imagination. “Well, ah… what made you decide right here, right now, was the best time to tell me?”

He blinks. “I haven’t said that before?”

“No!”

“Oh. I guess I’ve just thought it so much that I lost track.”

She laughs quietly. “Well, um. I think I love you too.” She kisses his cheek. “Bye Henry. I’ve gotta go.”

He grins and waves as she and her friend walk away.

\---

Maddie is standing guard outside the office of the prosecutor on Santa Barbara’s R-Co case when Genevieve- who is in charge of copying all the relevant files onto a drive and then uploading a virus to the server- speaks.

“So, you and Henry seem, like… really close.”

“I told you, I’m dating him for the case. You better not mix those drives up.”

“I’m not a fucking amateur, Baker.” Maddie hears her hurriedly switch around the drives. “Seriously, how do you know when getting close for the case becomes too close to do your job?”

“I’ll know. It’s not like I’ve slept with him. Temps in the hallways, stay down.”

They both pause for a minute, and then Maddie rises back up and squints down the hall. “Hm, we don’t have much time.”

“Why the hell haven’t you slept with him yet? He’s fucking ripped, and clearly adores your current persona!”

“It makes the lying harder. Come on, we gotta move.”

“Gimme three seconds.”

“Try one.”

Gen curses at the computer, smacks it, and then grabs both drives. “Okay, we’re golden.”

They climb through the vent system and out to the roof of the building. For a minute the two spies sit on the edge of the roof, leaning back to enjoy the sun on their faces and the wind in their hair. “Do you want to run the data, or should I?” Maddie asks.

Gen raises an eyebrow. “What will you do if I run it?”

“Henry invited me to practice self-defense with him this evening. I can make excuses if you need me too.”

Gen shakes her head, her braid whipping across her back as she does. “You’re all good, Baker. And remember this…”

“What?”

She winks. “If you don’t fuck him, I will.”

Maddie flips her the bird as she climbs down the fire escape.

\---

Henry pins Maddie to the ground, only to have her flip him right back over. They’ve been going back and forth like this for a full twenty minutes, and Henry is beat. “Damn, Mad, you’re strong,” he pants. “I think you won this one.”

She smirks and leans forward, so that her chest is pressed into his. “Do you yield?”

He’s suddenly more focused on her closeness than on the fight. “What happens if I don’t?”

Her lips brush his. “Then I’ll have to stay on top of you.”

“I like you on top.”

She makes a noise somewhere between a growl and a moan. “You’re hot when you talk dirty.”

She’s got his hands pinned above his head, so all he can do is buck his hips. Even just this motion makes her gasp, and it feels pretty damn good to him, too. “Yeah? Let me go and I’ll do more than talk.”

She begins pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to his neck. He groans when she bites him. “Oh no, Henry. You haven’t yielded yet. I really can’t let you go.”

He considers yielding just so he can move this along, but decides against it. “Well maybe,” he purrs against her mouth, “I can get you to let your guard down, and then I’ll…” he tangles his tongue with hers. “Slip my binds,” he finishes, yanking his hands from her grasp.

Maddie moans as his fingers brush over her chest. “God, Henry…”

“Mmm, you like that?”

She whimpers and presses her hips into his. His hands travel down her back and rest on her ass, and he carefully hooks his fingers into the waistband of her athletic shorts. “Mad? Can I?”

She pulls away a bit and bites her lip. Henry is confused- her hands are still in his hair and at his chest, and her breathing is damn near horny panting, but all of the sudden, her eyes show hesitance and trepidation. He moves his hands back up to her waist. “I mean- if you don’t want to- I don’t mean to rush-”

She shakes her head. “I want to, Henry.” So he goes back to kissing her, but he can feel that she’s tense under his hands.

“Are you sure? Do you want our first time to be in a bed? We can go home, or something…”

Maddie nods. “Ah… yes. I’d like that.” 

They walk to Henry’s car, but when Henry opens the door for her, Maddie stiffens and shakes her head, looking broken. “I’m sorry, Henry. I… I can’t. Not tonight. You deserve someone better.”

She stands on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I’m sorry. I… I love you.”

He nods, crestfallen. “I love you too,” he murmurs, but she’s already walking away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's something so f u n about knowing how everything (almost everything) plays out while the rest of y'all have no idea >:)


	7. Precipice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie's standing on the edge of a cliff, and she can feel the rock beginning to crumble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Claire I'm getting this up bEfOrE breakfast with my grandmother because I love you

Maddie spends weeks waiting for Robertson to come barging in and undo all of the progress she’s made. Hell, the only reason she’s not afraid of him purposely selling her out is that she knows he won’t want to bother rescuing her. She’s careful, careful to go out with Henry and never meet him at her place if she can help it. She and Gen don’t speak face-to face much, instead texting in code via a private line. One can never be too careful.

It’s not enough.

Later, she’ll do some digging, and she’ll realize it wasn’t even Robertson’s fault. There was a faulty line in the server’s firewall, though luckily for her, not the one they text on. Genevieve’s collection of the data from the prosecutor’s office had caught the attention of someone who’d been looking. She’d been linked to the destruction of their servers, which was all but game over.

But Maddie doesn’t know any of that when the SBPD storms into the cafe on one of the rare occasions she’s dared to stay there for breakfast. All she knows then is that she’s one wrong word away from ruining her own life.

\---

Henry is elated to find out they’ve had a break in the R-Co case, not least because it means he and Karen are off stakeout duty. That elation lasts right up until Brett passes him the sheet with the information on it. The IP address has been linked to a street address, and it’s one Henry knows very well.

He knows if he mentions it to Jerry or Karen or even Brett, it will only throw suspicion on his girlfriend. He also knows that this is not Maddie. She’s a reporter, not a spy for an illegal intelligence agency. She can’t be.

So he stays quiet for the drive to the bakery, and if Karen wonders how he knows every turn without glancing at the map, she doesn’t ask. He silently thanks her for that.

They quickly enter the cafe, the four of them and another four beat cops. Henry immediately scans the room for Maddie and finds her in her usual spot, eyes wide. He’s far across the room from her, so he mistakes her anxiousness for fear. All he wants is to rush to her, to make sure she’s okay, but he can’t. While being a bit lax on the rules is acceptable at a stakeout, now his work needs his full, undivided attention. The best way to keep Maddie safe is to do his job.

When Henry swallows the lump in his throat, it only adds to the growing boulder of dread in his stomach.

\---

Genevieve Flanders is one of R-Co’s best. Part of what makes her so good is her selflessness and her practicality. She’s not like Robertson, hot-headed and jealous of those more successful than her. She knows that sometimes, she needs to give herself up for the good of the mission.

So when the SBPD shows up outside the cafe, she doesn’t run or try to save herself. Instead, she calmly burns the scant paper evidence that might further their investigation, trusting Maddie to buy her time. She’s blowing the ashes out the window when the knock sounds on the door of her half of the apartment.

Gen walks slowly to a door that will quite possibly destroy her life is she opens it. When she does, her hands don’t even shake.

\---

Maddie knows that even if Gen is gone-- _especially_ if Gen is gone-- she needs to keep doing her job. She can’t cause a ruckus or be distracting or do anything to give her colleague a chance to run away. Hell, it’s bad enough that she’s even here. But still, leaving people behind has always been one of her least favorite parts of her job.

Genevieve is stalwart and unafraid as she’s led down the stairs, her hands cuffed behind her. Half the beat cops and half the detectives have evidently stayed behind to search the room, but Henry is still there, leading Gen through the coffeeshop. Maddie looks away quickly, not wanting to make eye contact with either of them. The time from now until the cops leave the bakery is crucial. She needs to be on her toes, absorbing any information she can, but she cannot appear to be anyone more than Henry’s girlfriend. 

Maddie closes her eyes, creating a cover story. _No, we weren’t roommates; there are two separate apartments. She was basically my landlord. We talked a few times. She let me get food for cheap because I pay rent, so this is a good place for me to eat and work._

Taking a deep breath, she runs her fingers over the tablet and notebook on the table. She has everything she needs to keep her cover. All she has to do is answer their questions. The real question is, can she lie well enough to make it indiscernible?

A mission ago, the answer would have doubtlessly been yes. But now, with Henry… she’s not so sure. 

\---

Henry is so relieved to see Maddie okay, so grateful for a smooth arrest, that he barely pays attention to the questioning. Instead he watches Maddie, letting Karen’s even voice fade into the background. Maddie looks a bit shaken, but she answers their questions clearly, and when she looks at him, she gives him a small smile. It’s only as they’re wrapping things up that he notices something off.

“Ms. De Rosa, I know this seems a bit ridiculous, but unfortunately, your proximity to Ms. Flanders makes you a suspect,” Karen says. Henry makes a mental not to thank her for sugarcoating; she almost never does and he knows the only reason she is now is because she knows Maddie is important to him. “We’ll need to examine your research,” Karen continues. “You’ve answered all the questions we have at the moment, but we’d like to take your notebook and tablet back to the station with us.”

That gives Henry pause. _Tablet? Maddie uses a laptop._ But sure enough, there’s a tablet resting on the table, next to Maddie’s Field Notes pad.

Now, he might be mistaken. It’s possible it’s one of those folding laptop tablets. But Henry’s got an eye for detail and a good memory; he knows what he’s seeing and he knows what he saw. This tablet doesn’t unfold, and Maddie’s laptop was never collapsible.

As he comes to this conclusion, time stands still. Henry has two options.

One: point out the lack of laptop. Suggest a search of Maddie’s apartment. Do his job, get closer to solving the case, possibly-- no, probably, uncover secrets that Maddie has buried for a reason. Uncover secrets he’s not sure he wants to know.

Two: stay silent. Fail to mention what might be a crucial piece of evidence. Plow on with whatever Brett and Jerry get from Flanders’ apartment, and try his best to forget the discrepancies in Maddie’s technology. Withhold evidence, but keep hold of this precious, fragile love he’s managed to find.

Henry fixes his gaze on Maddie, on the woman he loves, the woman he will always love, and does not say a word.

\---

Maddie takes a walk with Henry when he returns to the cafe after work. For a few minutes, they’re silent. Maddie bites her tongue to keep her questions from bubbling out of her mouth. _I saw you notice the tablet. Why didn’t you say anything? Did you only wait until I wasn’t there? Do you know just how much you could gain from revealing that secret? Why are you keeping my secrets?_

Eventually, Henry does speak. “Uh, Mad…” he takes a deep breath. “I know something, uh, happened between us, and I’m sorry if I pushed the issue of sex. Maybe we should talk about it, but I want you to know that, um, you’ll always be safe with me. I will never intentionally make you feel uncomfortable.”

She stands on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. This issue is all her, not him, but he’s still trying to make up for the fact that she’s a wretched excuse for a human being, a monster with a beating heart who doesn’t want to poison him, should she get too close. “I know, Henry. I love you. You mean too much to me…” she takes a deep breath. “There are things about me that you don’t know. That you wouldn’t like, if you knew. I’m just trying… I’m just trying to protect you.”

Henry takes her hands in his, and they stop walking. “Mad, I love you. I’m not going anywhere. As long as you want me, I’ll be here. You don’t have to bare your secrets to me, you don’t have to sleep with me. But maybe… maybe you should come home with me tonight.”

Maddie blinks slowly, but nods quickly, like if she doesn’t accept, the offer will disappear. “Al- alright… are you sure.”

“I am. And…” Henry takes a breath. “I mean, your landlord is a criminal… if you end up needing a place to stay, well, I’m not gonna kick you out or anything.”

Maddie nods again and gives Henry a kiss on the lips. “Thank you Henry. I… I think… I think we should discuss this over dinner.”

Henry takes her hand again and keep walking. “Then lets go. I’ll grill some chicken.

Maddie’s standing on the edge of a cliff that could crumble at any moment, but as she walks off next to Henry, she feels safe. She knows that she doesn’t need to worry about falling as long as he’s there to catch her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


	8. Love.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie accepts henry's offer to live with him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is up on a Sunday because I wasn't able to update it last Thursday. Next chapter coming not this Thursday, but next!

Maddie decides to move in with Henry. It’s an easy decision, in theory. She loves him, he loves her at the moment, and she has all of her things, thanks to Henry rescuing them from the evidence locker. She’ll crash with him and be even more able to drive him off the case, and then she will say goodbye and vanish like a scent on the wind.

It’s an easy decision… in theory. But as Maddie stands in Henry’s kitchen late that night, swamped in his sweatshirt over her pajamas, she wants to run for the hills just as much as she wants to curl up and never leave. But this isn’t her life. It can’t be.

Although it’s late, the clock ticking towards eleven, Henry doesn’t seem nearly as exhausted as Maddie feels when he comes into the kitchen. “Hey, Mad… the guest bed is made, if you want that. I mean, I know we’ve shared a bed before, but if something has changed between us…” he lets the explanation hang in the air, and Maddie forces herself to look at him, at the kindness, the love in his eyes. He has been nothing but patient with her. She’s pushing him away now because she’s scared, scared that getting closer will prevent her from doing her job. But getting closer _is_ her job.

Maddie closes the distance between them and pours everything she can never say into a kiss, making her intentions clear. Henry immediately holds her close, and when they stop kissing, he tilts her head up to look at him. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure, Henry. I’m ready. I love you… I want to do this with you, if you want it too.”

He kisses her soundly and literally carries her to the bedroom.

This can’t be her life, but it is, for now.

\---

Henry can’t believe he finally gets this, gets to be with Maddie and hold her in his arms and spend the night showing her how much he loves her. He’s spent nights with her before, and he truly loves wrapping her in his arms as they fall asleep, but this, this lovely, passionate union, is something that feels like a dream.

But it’s not a dream, and he knows that because he can feel her lips moving under his, he can feel her bare skin under his fingers, and he can hear her whimpering and gasping and whispering his name, gentle like the wind.

“Henry…”

He keeps kissing, letting his lips move everywhere. “Is this good, Mad?”

Her breath leaves her chest in a shaky sigh that he feels as much as he hears. “It’s so good. You’re so good.”

He dots kisses from her collarbone over her cheek and onto her lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She moves underneath him and then, with a wicked smile, flips both of them over.

“That was hot,” Henry pants.

Maddie kisses him passionately. “You’re hot.”

Henry chuckles and keeps kissing her. He’s loved kissing her since that first night on the roof, but now, amidst all their passion as they’re finally making love, it’s so much better.

He lets his eyes close as Maddie moves on top of him and gives in to the heady sensations coursing through the room.

\---

Maddie wakes while Henry is still sleeping, wrapped around her like he always is when she spends the night. She gives him gentle kisses as she worms out of his arms, but he doesn’t wake, and she leaves the room unnoticed.

She’s donned Henry’s shirt by the time she reaches the kitchen, and she opens the curtains to the backyard before starting coffee. Henry sleeps like the dead, so it’s doubtful that even the grinder will wake him.

Henry has sparse food options, thanks to his long hours and her previous proximity to the cafe. Maddie plugs in his toaster and drops two Eggo waffles in. When the coffee has brewed, she pours two mugs.

Henry walks in just as the Eggos are popping up. He wraps an arm around Maddie’s waist and presses a kiss to the top of her head, and Maddie giggles and melts into his embrace. “Henry, I made breakfast.”

“You sure as hell did,” he replies. “Oooh, waffles. Have you ever had these with chocolate sauce?”

Maddie laughs. “Chocolate sauce? Henry, I see you eat two donuts a day, and now you put chocolate sauce on your breakfast? How the hell are you in such good shape?”

“Mad, you’ve seen my workout,” he scoffs. “You know I go big or go home.”

She smirks and winks. “Well, I do now.”

His grin turns wicked. “You know, I think maybe this morning we could use a workout in the shower.”

\---

Maddie leaves the house soon after Henry, checking on a few contacts before her meeting with Hargrave. They’re mostly in hiding after Genevieve’s arrest, but still keeping eyes and ears out for what’s happening around them. She thanks them and assures them her mission has not been compromised, and then heads into her meeting.

“Nice to see you, baker,” her boss snarks. “Seeing as it’s been a full twenty-four hours since a critical event, and all.”

She sets her jaw, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. “Hargrave, I’m in a delicate situation, here. I couldn’t just run off, I was being questioned. I had to spend a day playing the shocked roommate before I could handle the repercussions on our investigation.”

Hargrave seems satisfied with that. “Repercussions indeed. For instance, where the hell are you staying? We need to get eyes on your living arrangements, now more than ever.”

Maddie chooses her words carefully. “I’ve decided that it’s time for me to close in on the SBPD. Still acting as Detective Spencer’s lover, I’ve accepted his offer to stay with him while my previous lodgings are a crime scene.”

Hargrave smiles a cold smile. “Well then, it appears that great minds think alike. I’ve also been thinking that you should, shall we say, tighten the noose of this investigation. With that in mind, I’m giving you a new order.”

Maddie stands still, posture perfect, expression neutral. She doesn’t like the sound of this. “Sir?”

Hargrave leans forward, spinning his fountain pen between his fingers. “Baker, I want you to kill Henry Spencer.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> c l i f f h a n g e r


	9. Eyes on Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie is left reeling after her meeting with her boss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're picking up right where we left off!

Maddie’s heart has stopped beating, but she makes herself continue as normally as possible. She looks Hargrave straight in the eye. “Easier said than done, sir.”

“Are you saying you can’t do it?”

“Of course not. But I can’t do it right away.” Maddie has a real plan in her head now, formulated quickly from years’ practice of thinking fast on a deadline. “I need to get a better look at their investigation, figure out who they’re looing at. I may even need to redirect them onto someone plausible but truly insignificant. And I need Henry to trust me enough that I can get him in a situation close enough to the SBPD’s target that when I kill him, it looks like their suspect.”

Hargrave raises an eyebrow. “Well, that sounds like a plan. When you say it’ll take time…”

“A few months.”

“How many?”

“Three. Three months should do it.”

“Then get busy, Baker. You have two.”

Maddie is dismissed, and she leaves the office obediently. Walking towards her bike in the parking garage, she feels a chill settle over her. She’s only got two months to figure out how to not kill Henry without getting herself killed instead.

_God… how the hell did this happen?_

\---

The night before, while Henry had been helping Maddie move in with him, someone had murdered the defense lawyer whose files were stolen by the R-Co agent Maddie had lived with. Now, Henry’s flipping through crime scene photos while Karen, across the desk from him, watches security footage.

“There’s no fucking movement on a single goddamn camera,” Karen growls.

Henry eyes the same photo he’s been looking at for the past ten minutes, still remembering the delight in waking up with Maddie next to him. “Cool.”

“It is not cool! Are you even listening to me?”

“Sounds good.”

“Spencer!” She slams her hand on the table, and Henry jumps. 

“What are you so worked up about?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe the fact that we’re getting dangerously close to ‘in over our heads’ territory on this case and you don’t seem to care!”

“Relax, Karen, we’ll figure something out-”

“Oh, ‘we’? Because it seems like I’m the only one who’s doing any work!”

“Karen-”

“Henry, I get that you have a girlfriend. I get it. I understand you’re in love, and a point could be made that you’re worried about her living with a criminal. But this is too much. She’s becoming detrimental to your ability to do your job, and frankly, I’m still not sure we shouldn’t have brought her in for questioning.”

Henry folds his arms across his chest. “Okay, maybe I’ve been daydreaming a little too much, and I apologize for that. You can accuse me of being unprofessional. You can accuse me of slacking on the job. But you definitely cannot accuse Maddie of a damn thing, especially not if you’re just trying to yell at me. She’s not a part of this in any way. So leave her alone.”

Karen stares at him for a long moment, her eyes narrowed and head tilted like she can’t figure him out. Finally, she sighs and shakes her head. “Jesus, Spencer. Fuck the hell off.”

\---

Maddie is reading a book on Nellie Bly by the time Henry gets home. She’s decided that she’ll always make sure to have her work things hidden away twenty or thirty minutes before she’s expecting him, just to be safe. Nellie Bly is an interesting historical figure, and just the kind of woman Madelena De Rosa the reporter would be into, so this book is both a pleasant pastime and another supporting element to her cover. Maddie’s learned to combine the two over the years.

Henry is normally quite light-footed, so Maddie knows there’s something going on when she feels more than hears his entrance into the house. The slamming of the front door agrees with her, and she sets down her book and hurries to meet him.

“What’s wrong, Henry? Rough day at work?”

Henry heaves a heavy sigh. “That pretty much sums it up.”

“What’s the matter? I mean, you can’t tell me about the case, but was it something else? Was Jerry being an asshole again?”

He shakes his head. “Jerry being an asshole is a normal occurrence. Karen and I are having a disagreement, and of course there’s another fold to the Roshton case. It has not been an easy day, Mad.”

Maddie steps tentatively closer, offering a hug. Henry easily wraps her in his arms, inhaling the scent of her hair. She smiles. “Don’t worry, Henry. I’m sure it’ll all work out.” The words leave a bad taste in her mouth, but Henry relaxes, and that’s what matters.

“God, Maddie, what did I do to deserve you?”

She swallows. “You’re a good man, Henry. I love you.” Both statements are true, not that she should have a problem with lying. Still, it offers some solace to tell him the truth every once in a while.

“I love you too, Maddie. I love you too.”

\---

Henry’s mood improves over dinner, with Maddie chattering avidly about the new art installation in the park that she’d done a piece on. Her cheer cheers him, and the wine they drink also helps take his mind off his day. After dinner, he and Maddie tumble into bed together, and when all is said and done, she falls asleep easily.

Henry does not.

He lies awake, staring at the ceiling. The case details run through his mind, and he feels like Dorothy in _The Wizard of Oz._ He’s searching desperately for an answer, but the answer is hidden behind a curtain he’s not sure he wants to pull back.

After hours of tossing and turning, henry gives up. He’s too tired to fight his subconscious right now. Rolling over to pull Maddie into him, he goes to sleep.

\---

Maddie wakes in the dead of night with Henry wrapper around her. Her heart is still pounding from the nightmare, and she shakes her head a few times to ward off images of Henry’s bleeding body under her fingers, of the look of betrayal in his eyes. Cursing quietly, she slips out of bed.

“Keep it together, Baker,” she mutters, once she’s in the kitchen with a mug of cocoa in her hands. “You don’t need to kill Henry, you just need to stall. Keep him alive until you can get the SBPD off your trail. That’ll be enough.”

Normally, Maddie isn’t one for talking to herself, but right now, she just needs to hear that it’ll all work out. “All’s well that ends well,” she breathes.

_...never mind the fact that we’re nowhere near the end._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading!


	10. Red Herrings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie plans to lure the SBPD down the wrong path. Henry pouts and sulks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welp I should've gotten this up like an hour ago but I got distradcted with Actual Schoolwork rip

Sending the SBPD down the wrong rabbit hole is proving more difficult than Maddie had expected, and she hasn’t even finished her planning yet. Without the added help of her fellow R-Co agents, this is much harder… but she can’t exactly get them to help her screw their company over. The clock is ticking towards noon, towards Henry’s lunch break and her scheduled lunch with him, and she’s really not much better off than she’d been this morning when he’d left. With a sigh, Maddie reaches for the phone.

When Henry answers, his voice is hushed but happy. _”Hey, Mad, what’s up?”_

She herself feels a smile cross her face. “Why are you whispering? Are you busy? Am I gonna get you in trouble?”

_”Never too busy for you, sweetheart. And that depends on why you’re calling.”_

“I’m just calling to tell you that I’m following an unexpected lead on one of my stories and I’ve gotta be out of town… which means no lunch, sorry.”

_”And probably no dinner, huh, if it checks out?”_

Suddenly, several things fall into place at once.

Maddie could probably get a full 24 hours of time only to herself if she did go out of town for the night.

If she figured out how to budget it to Hargrave, R-Co finances could get her a ticket to their Las Vegas office.

Misleading the SBPD could just as easily be a part of her false plan she’d explained to Hargrave… which means she can have help, after all.

Grinning, Maddie remembers to answer Henry. “Yeah, sorry babe… we’ll just have to see how it goes. I’ll be back lunch tomorrow at the latest.”

Henry gives an exaggerated sigh. _“I suppose I’ll survive. Love you.”_

“Love you too.”

After she hangs up, Maddie saves all of her files and slides her computer into a travel case.

She’s got a busy day ahead of her.

\---

Henry works through his lunch break, partially to make up for the fact that he has indeed been slacking off because of Maddie, and partially because since he’s not meeting her for lunch, he doesn’t have anything better to do. It’s nice to get his paperwork done, but by a quarter to one, he’s staring at the most recent R-Co files in defeat.

Karen, just returning from her own lunch break, frowns when she sees him. “Spencer, did you even eat lunch?”

She’s relegated him to last-name status since their argument, but he knows she still cares. He sighs. “I had some stuff from the break room. I thought I was going out to lunch today, but, that didn’t happen.”

“Well…” Karen sets her jaw, her chin tilting up almost defiantly. “It’s good that you’re finally doing some work.”

Henry would laugh at her grudge holding if he wasn’t so frustrated by the case. “Whatever, Dunlap. What do you make of these numbers? Or the lack of them, I guess.”

There are whole rows on the spreadsheet that are just blacked out, redaction style. Purpose, amount, everything. Karen’s hair tickles the back of Henry’s neck as she leans over him. “Hm… this is all the attorneys gave us, right? We asked if they’d share backups of what was stolen and they chose what to give us?”

“Yep.”

She stands up, and then leans against his desk, looking unamused. “Ten bucks says those payments give us the leads we need to crack this case.”

Henry nods slowly. “So what we need now is a search warrant.”

“You mean, evidence that will throw enough suspicion on the _victims_ of this crime for a judge to give us a search warrant.”

He makes a face. “Well, when you say it like that…”

\---

It’s surprisingly easy for Maddie to convince Hargrave to buy her a plane ticket. He’s receptive to the idea of an overnight stay being worth the travel, and even comments that he’s happy to hear she’s forging onward with her mission. The way he’d said that had sent a chill down Maddie’s spine.

Still, it’s a fairly simple process from airport check-in to arrival in Las Vegas. Madelena De Rosa’s papers are impeccable, and when Maddie gets off the plane, she quickly recognizes a fellow agent waiting to take her to a car. She grins. “Long time no see, Sterling. Boss didn’t want me to give a cabbie the office address?”

Cooper Sterling sighs. “Always with the quips, Baker. You make my life so much more… fun.”

She grins. “It’s good to see you, too.”

Hargrave, Robertson, Lee, and Roman are all present when she gets into the conference room. Lee and Roman she likes, but Robertson… she doesn’t even wanna know what he’s doing here. So naturally, he speaks first. “What’s this about, Baker? Have you finally decided we should spring Flanders from the slammer?”

Maddie sets her jaw. “We’ve got some prep work to do before we can pull that off, Robertson. Well, we could do it now, but if we wait, we can use her escape to throw the SBPD further off our tail.”

The agents around the room nod in understanding. Hargrave raises an eyebrow.

Jenny Roman, a dark-haired, dark-skinned woman, leans forward and folds her arms across her chest. “So what’s our first move?”

Maddie smirks confidently. “It’s time to let them fish for some red herrings.”

\---

Henry groans as he stumbles through his door, his mind foggy with exhaustion. He’d worked late, knowing Maddie wouldn’t be waiting for him. They’d reached out to the law office, began an investigation, and paid another visit to Genevieve Flanders in an effort to figure out why she was so interested in those particular attorneys. But she had stayed silent, and even their best forensic techs had yet to repair the damage her malware had done to the lawyers’ computers. In the end, it had been a frustrating and unproductive day.

“God, what am I missing?” he asks the ceiling, groaning as he collapses onto his bed. “What glaringly obvious detail am I not looking at?”

When the empty air fails to answer, Henry sighs and tugs the blankets up over his body. Rolling over, he stares at Maddie’s empty pillow until he falls asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for reading! Next chapter coming in two weeks!


	11. Time Bomb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie puts a plan into motion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting into the good stuff now...

By the time Maddie returns to Santa Barbara, she has a fully-fledged plan, and a team of powerful secret agents on her side. Everything is going better than it has for a while now… if she ignores the fact that she’ll eventually have to betray said secret agents.

Jenny Roman has come back to Santa Barbara with her, as a key witness, if asked. The two of them are going to dig their claws into the SBPD and shake things up, while Robertson and Lee activate outside agents, one of whom will eventually be blamed for the death of Henry Spencer.

Maddie’s priority now is keeping Henry alive… and therein lies her problem.

As Madalena De Rosa, she has no reason for Henry to fake his death and run away, with or without her. In fact, the justice-hungry reporter would probably take anything big she found straight to the cops, provided she’d outlined a story on it first. So if she wants Henry safe, she has to blow her cover… and after she blows her cover, she needs him to still trust her. She can’t imagine that he will.

Thinking about what he’d say, what he’d do, if he found out who she really was, hurts her. And that hurt doesn’t lessen when she sees Henry’s grinning face as soon as she pulls her bike into his drive.

“Maddie!” Henry practically runs out of his house, and she lets him sweep her into his arms. “How was your trip? Did you find a good lead?”

“Yeah, I met with a few PIs, spent half my salary buying them drinks, all that jazz. I’m gonna run a story on how private investigators are a key component of our justice system.”

Henry nods slowly. “I’m kind of lukewarm towards them, but yeah, I guess they help.” He lets her go, but keeps hold of her hand. “Have you eaten? I have sandwich materials inside.”

Maddie has only eaten an apple today, and that was before she left the Vegas office. She’s starving, and she tells him as much.

Henry cheerfully leads her into the house, kissing her quickly as they enter the kitchen. “I missed you, Mad.”

She manages a smile. “Missed you too.”

\---

Maddie meets up with Roman in a local park that afternoon. Her colleague blends in well, in a blouse, shorts, and large sunglasses. They walk the trails, speaking quietly, and to all passerby, they look like just another pair of friends.

“We need to spring Flanders from the SBPD,” Roman starts.

“We can do it quietly,” Maddie agrees, thinking out loud.

“Or we can do it loudly.”

Maddie makes a face that’s not quite a frown. “We don’t want to make a fuss.”

“Or maybe we do,” Roman counters. “Baker, Flanders is the second one of ours they’ve gotten in the past six months. They’re after us. Maybe it’s time we went after them.”

Maddie swallows hard. Her partner is right. Going on the offensive is the right move, both for R-Co and for Maddie’s private goal. Taking a deep breath, she nods. “Alright, then, say we put on a show. What could we do that would mess with them, and easily free Gen?”

Roman slurps noisily at her iced coffee, then chucks the empty cup into a trash can. “Well, we could blow a hole in the side of their holding cells.”

Maddie blinks at the bluntness of the statement. “That- that would work.”

“Hell yeah it would. Get Flanders out, and leave the SBPD scrambling. It’s the perfect confusion move.”

For a while, Maddie stays quiet, thinking. It would work… but at what cost? A cold fear spreads through her when she thinks of Henry being hurt because of her. Still, she needs to get Gen free, and she needs to redirect the SBPD’s case. The sooner, the better.

She turns to face Roman. “Let’s do it.”

\---

A week after Maddie gets back in town, Henry straightens his tie and holsters his gun, ready to leave for work. As he’s heading for the door, Maddie rushes into the hall behind him, hair straightened, clothes neat, and work bag slung over her shoulder. Henry had thought she was still in bed.

“Hey, can you give me a ride?”

“Sure!” Henry grabs his keys, which he’d nearly forgotten. “Where to?”

“Um, you can drop me off at the station. I’m meeting a PI at a cafe near there for an interview, and I don’t want all this-” she gestures to her hair with a laugh- “to get messed up by riding my bike.”

Henry nods, smiling. “Sure thing, Mad. C’mon.”

In truth, he’s glad she’d asked him. He feels like she’s been slightly distant over the past week, though he’s sure it’s only because of her story. Still, it feels like he sees her less, and she’s quieter when he does.

They listen to the radio on the way, Maddie singing quietly along. A few times, Henry thinks about starting a conversation, but her voice is so pretty that he doesn’t want to interrupt. When they pull up to the station, Maddie gives him a quick kiss. “Bye, Honey. Love you!”

He kisses her back. “Love you too, Mad. See you later.”

\---

Maddie and her partner are sweating in the midday sun, sitting on the back patio of a restaurant near the police station. Roman has the remote trigger, a modified key fob, in her hand. She wears an emotionless expression as she turns to Maddie. “Ready?”

Maddie hits _send_ on the text she’s hiding underneath the table. “Ready.”

Roman clicks the ‘panic’ button, then stands and slings her bag over her shoulder. “Let’s move,” she says, but Maddie doesn’t hear her, because the explosion from the SBPD is big enough that the noise reaches all the way down the block.

As civilians all around them begin to freak out, R-Co agents Baker and Roman set off to rescue their friend.

\---

Henry, just about to go on a lunch run, frowns as his phone dings with a text. It’s from Maddie.

_car issues on hollister ave… can you help? It’s your lunch break now, right?_

He frowns. She’d ridden with him to her meeting, which means she’s been out with whoever it was that she’d met. Hollister ave is close enough that he can get there on his way to pick up lunches. He tells her he’ll be there, then heads out the door.

As he’s pulling out of the SBPD lot, the building goes up in flames.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	12. Collision Course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting into the thick of it, here!

Racing through a cloud of dust to the holding cells, Maddie can only hope that Henry had gotten her text. The damage to the SBPD is more severe than she would have imagined, so there’s no telling what’s happened to those inside.

She and Roman reach the still-standing foundation wall of the building, then jog along it to where they’d planted one of the charges. The hole should be near the holding cells, but not in them- blowing up Genevieve in the rescue would rather defeat the purpose.

Sure enough, they have a straight shot at the cells once they climb through the wreckage of some file cabinets. Roman keeps watch while Maddie picks the lock on Gen’s cell.

“You two are not subtle,” Gen remarks.

“We weren’t trying to be,” Maddie explains quietly. “We’re putting a plan in motion to scare off the SBPD, once and for all.”

“Good job, then,” Gen answers, stepping out of the cell as Maddie finishes with the lock. “What’s out next move?”

“Getting the hell out of here. Roman’s staying in a local safehouse, so we can discuss things there.”

Gen nods and heads for the hole in the wall. Maddie follows, and Roman brings up the rear. Just before they’re out on the debris-covered lawn, Gen stumbles, probably a product of weeks of confinement, and leans against a tall, singed file cabinet. It teeters, and begins to fall.

Gen jumps forward.

Roman leaps backward.

Maddie is trapped between the two on them and can only throw herself out of the way. It doesn’t quite work.

\---

Henry can’t taste anything other than acrid smoke, can’t take a breath without coughing. Still, he refuses to head for safety, instead pulling officer out of officer to freedom. Already, he’s seen too many he can’t save.

“Henry!”

He turns toward his name, seeing Brett, limping, almost dragging a half-conscious Jerry. “Brett,” he calls, then doubles over coughing. “Need help?”

“Not with Carp,” Brett rasps. “Karen’s under a support beam near the break room… or where it was. She’s conscious, and trying like hell to get out, but she told me to grab Jerry instead.”

Henry curses. “Of course she did. I’ll get her. You go, and get yourself some help, too.”

“Not on your life, I’ll come find you when I’m done with Carp.”

Henry nods and heads further into the dense smoke. He can see a bit of light coming through from his left, probably from a collapsed wall in the break room. He heads in that direction, and soon enough, he finds Karen. Quickly, he crouches next to her.

“Karen, it’s me.”

She twists a bit to look up at him, propping herself up on one elbow. “Henry.” She starts coughing before she can say anything else.

Henry looks around, seeing that there is, in fact, a support beam across her back. It’s made of metal, and Henry’s not sure he can move it. The ne looks back at Karen, covered in ash and bleeding and still hacking up a lung, and knows he has to try.

“Alright, look,” he says. “I’m gonna lift this up, and you’re gonna need to get out from under it as fast as you can, okay? I’m not gonna be able to lift it and help you out.”

“Got it,” she rasps. 

Henry braces himself to lift the beam. “On three.”

“Ready.”

“One, two, three!” Henry heaves the beam up, and Karen army crawls out. He drops it as soon as she’s free, and the resulting bang hurts their ears. The vibration, too, shakes even more debris free around them.

Henry offers a hand to his partner. She grabs it, but doesn’t make it off the floor before she falls again. A strange look comes over her face.

“Karen, what’s wrong?”

She looks up at him, fear in her eyes. “I can’t feel my legs.”

“Shit.” Henry runs a hand through his hair, then coughs. “Shit, shit, shit. Okay, here. I’m gonna carry you.”

She nods, and he pulls her up again, but this time, he lifts her into his arms, bridal style. Both coughing, they make their way out of the station.

Brett meets them near the entrance. “What happened?”

“Don’t know yet,” Henry rasps. “Can you get stuff out of the way so I don’t trip?”

“Yeah, yeah.”

The three of them make it out, and Karen gets loaded into an ambulance. Brett grabs Henry, forcing him to look at him. “Go get yourself checked out, Spencer.”

“Not yet.”

The hell do you mean, ‘not yet’?”

Henry frowns, steeling himself. “Someone needs to call Richard Vick.”

\---

Maddie had, thankfully, escaped the worst of the file cabinet. But her arm is throbbing with pain and growing more swollen by the minute.

“You should get that looked at,” Gen suggests.

Maddie shrugs. “I’ll set it myself.”

Even Roman has a worried frown on her face. “No… I think that’s pretty severe… let’s slip into some urgent care. Hell, with what we’ve done to the station, we’ll probably get lost in that crowd.”

Maddie sighs, but nods, knowing that she’s beat. “Alright. Let’s get it over with.”

The ER is a nightmare, with people injured in the explosion streaming in. Maddie waits a full hour before grabbing a few papers from the nurses’ station and slipping into the exam room unnoticed. The doctor assumes she’s supposed to be there, and draws a blood sample without batting an eye.

Her arm is set and casted. While she’s sitting still to wait for the plaster to dry, a different doctor arrives. She mentally profiles him, and can quickly tell he’s not usually part of the ER. “Hello, Ms. De Rosa,” he greets.

“Hi.”

“How’s your arm?”

“Better than a few hours ago.” She’s putting the bare minimum into her small talk.

“Well, your blood tests showed no contamination from the blunt force trauma,” he begins. “However, there were some other anomalies that prompted further testing, which is why I’m here.”

Maddie wracks her brain for potential contaminants that might be lingering in her bloodstream from previous missions. Recalling none, she opts to crack a joke. “Too much caffeine?”

The doctor laughs politely. “Actually, Ms. De Rosa, you’re pregnant.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> c l i f f h a n g e r


	13. SNAFU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie panics. Nothing goes according to plan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is up late bc I forgot. That is my only excuse. I am sorry

After nearly an hour of petrified silence, Maddie makes it back to Henry’s house, locks the door behind her, then rushes for the bathroom and promptly throws up.

She knows it’s nerves, and stress, and her body being literally unable to handle what’s been thrown at it. Still, her mind briefly wanders to the concept of morning sickness, and she wonders. She does. _When did it happen? How long have I been-_

Maddie shakes herself out of it. Even in her head, she refuses to say the word. It won’t last, anyway- it can’t. Right now, she needs to pack her bags and go. She’ll find a clinic on the way to fix this problem, and then she’ll shed the identity of Madelena De Rosa and hide for a few months. Whether she’ll hide with R-Co or from them, she doesn’t yet know.

_First things first,_ she thinks, heading for the bedroom. She needs to clear out every trace of her existence, and she needs to be able to carry it literally on her back. Yes, she plans to take a cab downtown and find a clinic, but afterward, she might not have the resources available to steal a car and refurbish the plates. Maddie doesn’t know what terrifies her more: running from Henry and the SBPD, or running from R-Co.

(She knows what the answer should be, but something in her traitorous fucking heart makes the first option hurt more.)

Maddie gets her sensitive materials- ‘journalism’ notes, her tablet, her laptop, et cetera- packed first, into a small, compact backpack. Then, she starts on her other stuff.

Book get stacked neatly in the side of a duffel bag. Her clothes she doesn’t even fold, instead just shoving them in haphazardly. Hell, she probably needs to burn them all, or risk another tie to this false identity.

The sound of the door opening makes her freeze. “Mad?” Henry’s voice calls, sounding weak. “Are you here?”

She can’t run, not with him heading this way. _Damnit, damnit, damnit!_ Hot tears prick at her eyes. She’s going to have to follow orders. She takes a deep breath and grabs a pistol from her backpack, then turns to face the doorway, just as Henry enters. His face turns to an expression of shock, but he doesn’t say a word.

All she needs to do now is pull the trigger. She can get his body to Hargrave and R-Co will take care of it and she can get rid of the mistake inside her with the help of doctors she knows will keep things confidential and it will all be so _easy-_

But it’s not. She’s staring at the man she loves, tears streaming down her face, a gun aimed at his heart. She’s pulled a trigger hundreds of times throughout her career, but she can’t do it now.

Shaking her head, Maddie drops the gun and falls backwards onto the bed, curling up on herself.

\---

Henry isn’t entirely sure what’s happening.

No, he should rephrase that. He has no clue what the fuck is going on.

First, he crouches and picks up the pistol Maddie had dropped. It’s a model he’s never seen in person, and when he habitually checks for identifying marks, all he can see are scratches from a file. He tosses the gun across the room into the closet, and then unholsters his own and does the same.

“Maddie?” he asks tentatively, once he’s gotten rid of the weapons. “Mad, what’s going on?”

She doesn’t answer, just pulls a pillow into her arms and plants her face in it. Her whole body shakes with sobs.

Henry slowly sits on the edge of the bed and rubs her back. “It’s alright,” he murmurs. “You’re okay.”

“It’s not,” she manages, not looking at him. “I’ve just fucked everything up for the both of us.”

“How so?”

“Let’s just say the people who want you dead are gonna want me dead too, now.”

Henry scowls, trying to think of who could fit that bill. “The Roshton Company?”

Maddie nods silently.

“Maddie, what do you know about them?”

She sits up suddenly, moving away from him. She laughs, but it’s harsh and false. “What do I know about them? Practically nothing! I’ve worked for them since I was seventeen, but that’s no guarantee of _anything.”_

Henry recoils. “Maddie- what?”

“I’m a spy, Henry. I’m supposed to kill you.” She laughs that horrible laugh again. “I did a bang-up job of that.”

Henry should run, should call Brett, should arrest her himself, but he doesn’t do any of that. Instead, he watches Maddie, and she watches him. They’re silent for a minute, then two, then six.

“Why didn’t you?”

“What?”

“You had a gun aimed at my heart before I even knew what was happening. Why didn’t you kill me?”

She turns away from him, her mussed hair falling into her face. “I- I love you.”

That’s all Henry needs to hear. He leans forward and kisses her on the cheek, and then when she turns to face him, the lips. “I love you too.” He can feel her sigh shakily. “So… how do we keep these guys from killing us?”

\---

Maddie and Henry end up in Henry’s truck, despite Maddie reminding him that it’ll be the first one R-Co or the SBPD will look for. Maddie keeps her backpack with her, but three duffels of other things they could need go on the floor of the back seat. Maddie stays quiet until she realizes they’re driving into town and not out of it.

“Henry, where are we going?”

“The hospital,” he answers quietly. “I need to- Karen might be out of surgery by now. I need to say goodbye.”

Maddie frowns. “Henry, we have to _run,_ we can’t leave any trace-”

“Maddie,” Henry almost snaps, "my best friend might die, because of a disaster _you_ had a hand in. I’m willing to run away with you, but I- I need to finish up here first.”

Maddie nods quickly, looking down at her lap. “I’m sorry.”

\---

Henry says a silent prayer in the elevator that he’ll find Karen alive and awake. Someone up there must be listening, because she’s perfectly alert in the hospital bed.

“Karen,” he breathes.

“Hey, Spencer,” she answers. “FInally come to say hi?”

“I’ve been, um, busy.” Henry swallows. “How are you?”

“As good as can be. I’ve got a nasty cough, and I still can’t feel my legs...the doctor says feeling may return with therapy, though,”

“That’s- that’s good,” Henry manages. “Listen, Karen, I… I’ve gotta be out of town for a while.”

Her eyebrows knit in concern. “What’s the matter?”

“Um, Jack,” Henry manages, thinking on the fly. “He’s- he’s in a bit of trouble down in, uh, Florida. I- I gotta help him out.”

Karen nods slowly, still looking confused. “Well, good luck… I’ll see you when you get back.”

Henry nods, swallowing hard over the lump in his throat. “Uh, get well soon, Karen. Good luck.”

She lifts a hand in a wave, giving him a sad smile. He wonders if she can tell he’s lying.

“Bye, Henry.”

“Goodbye, Karen.”

Forcing his feet to move, Henry turns and walks toward the elevator, wondering if he’ll ever see his partner again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters coming as normal (every other thursday) through november! I've written ahead, so no NaNoWriMo hiatus :)


	14. An End, and a Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Claire!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> not proofread at all but here you go!

Henry lets Maddie drive away from the hospital. This gives him plenty of time to freak out. “I’m aiding and abetting a criminal,” he mutters faintly to himself.

Maddie glances over at him. “Henry?”

“I’m fine.” _Just, you know, on the run from an illegal and deadly covert intelligence ring. Why would I not be fine?_

“Henry, I know this is a lot at once, but I need you to listen, okay? Please?”

“Right,” he murmurs. “You know what you’re doing. I trust you. Somehow, I trust you.”

“Not about that,” she says. “That can- that can wait until later, when we settle down for the night. Right now, I need to decide- I want you to know-” she takes a shuddering breath. “Henry, I’m- I’m pregnant.”

Henry actually picks his head up to look at her. “What?”

Her grip tightens on the steering wheel. “I’m pregnant, and I was planning on getting an abortion, but now that you’re coming with me… do you want to keep it?”

Henry is silent, struck dumb by yet another shocking reveal. Maddie continues rambling. “I mean, I understand if not, I’m not so keen on it either, and it would make going on the run _such_ a hassle, but I thought- since you, um, love me, and you _are_ willing to literally run away with me…” she quickly glances sideways at him. “This seems like the sort of thing you should get a say in.”

Henry nods, still quiet. When he speaks, his voice sounds hoarse. “Well, I’ve always wanted to be a dad, but- but I don’t know if you want kids… I don’t know anything about you, really. Of course if you don’t want to keep it, you should, uh, terminate the pregnancy. But…” he risks a glance at her. “You said we would have to make a fresh start, so maybe this can be part of it. We can really, truly start over… start over as a family.”

Maddie pull over onto the sandy side of the road and parks the car. Henry opens his mouth to ask what she’s doing, but before he can, she leans over the console and gives him a long, sweet kiss.

\---

It’s past one in the morning by the time Maddie and Henry reach Mill Valley. They have been driving for hours. Henry is utterly exhausted, and he can’t even begin to imagine how Maddie’s feeling.

Still, she takes up a position by the window, beginning a lookout. Henry, who is checking the sheets for bedbugs, frowns. “Maddie, you need some rest… do you want me to watch?”

“I won’t be able sleep anyway,” she says softly. 

“Who are you watching for?”

“Well, I doubt anyone’s looking for you yet- no offense- and nobody will miss me for another two days or so. But better safe than sorry.”

“Mad, I won’t sleep either,” Henry sighs. “Come here, at least lie down with me.”

She frowns, but acquiesces. Once the lights are off, they both toss and turn in silence for a while. After almost half an hour, Henry pulls her into his arms.

“Henry,” she whispers.

“Maddie.” He strokes her hair. “What’s your name?”

“What?”

“Your real name. What is it?”

“Oh.” She’s silent, leaving Henry to wonder how long it’s been since she last introduced herself with her given name. “Madeline. Madeline Baker.”

Henry grins into the dark. “So I can still call you Maddie.”

“Of course.”

He kisses her temple. “I don’t think you’re so different, underneath whatever character you’ve been playing over the last few months. I think you’re the same on the inside.”

Maddie sighs. “Madelena De Rosa is a hell of a lot less complicated than Madeline Baker.”

“Okay,” Henry says simply. “I still love you.”

“God, Henry,” Maddie mutters, choking up. “I love you too.”

\---

Henry knows how to go on the run, in theory.

Theory has been helpful so far; he had a bag ready, he knew which weapons he should bring and which are too unique to him. But the further he gets from Santa Barbara, the less prepared he feels. 

The palm trees are turning to pines as they drive up the coast. The car’s thermometer ticks slowly downward. Fog rolls in, the mere sight making Henry shiver.

“Can we shoot for Seattle?” Maddie asks. “It’d be a good place to hide, temporarily.”

Henry is slowly realizing that Maddie knows a lot more about being on the run than he does. He nods and covers her hand with his. “Sounds good, Mad. As long as you find a doctor… we wanna make sure our baby is doing alright.”

Maddie frowns. “Okay… it’ll mean some fudging of papers, but you’re right, I probably to need to get checked out at some point.”

Henry kisses her fingers. “I just want you both to be alright.”

She nods, smiling tightly. “I know, Henry. And in Seattle, it won’t be too hard. But I’m warning you in advance: if we’re in some small back country town in Nebraska, we may have to forego the doctor for the sake of subtlety.”

Henry doesn’t know what part of this plan involves back country Nebraska. “Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”

\---

It takes them another two days to get to Seattle. Maddie books them into a decent hotel, telling Henry they’ll probably have to leave within the week. Henry barely listens, his eyes going wide at the rolls of cash- mostly fifties, with a lot of twenties and some hundreds- that she has in her messenger bag.

“I’ll take out a temporary card with with a fake ID for the week,” she says. “I’m gonna need a pretty solid persona for a doctor’s appointment, so I’ll have one ready anyway.”

“Uh-huh,” Henry mutters faintly. “Yeah. You do that.”

Maddie giggles a bit at his shock. “You don’t have to freak out,” she assures him, kissing him on the cheek. “You’ll figure it out soon.”


	15. Fresh Start

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Henry and Maddie spend a week in Seattle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this so long ago I don't even remember what happens

In Seattle, they’re not Maddie Baker and Henry Spencer. Instead, they become Amanda and Luke Edwards, newlyweds who are looking for a place to put down roots. Seattle is such a huge, amazing city, and they don’t mind the frequent rain. It seems perfect!

It takes Maddie about two days to set up their new identities. On day three, she goes to a privately owned mother-and-baby clinic, gushing about _isn’t this exciting_ and _what a surprise_ and _we’re so lucky to get to start a family already!_ She’d worried a bit about Henry’s ability to play his part, but he’d pulled it off almost better than she had.

“You were really good in there,” she mentions afterwards, when they’re holed up in their hotel suite. “Did you do a lot of undercover work on the force?”

Henry is staring in awe at the sonogram. “What?”

“I said you’re a good actor.”

He looks up with a grin. “I wasn’t acting.”

\---

As Amanda and Luke, they tour different areas of the city, looking for houses. Maddie pretends to fuss over the difficulties of baby-proofing. Henry rambles on about yard size and ballpark proximity. The entire time, they’re both looking over their shoulders. Maddie hasn’t noticed any signs that anyone’s looking for them yet, but she was supposed to check in with Hargrave and R-Co two days ago- their grace period has probably timed out.

“I think we should change up our looks before we head on,” she tells Henry quietly as they’re walking back to their hotel one afternoon. “It would be nice to keep using these IDs, but that might be too risky. We probably should’ve changed ourselves up a bit before we got to Seattle.”

“You think, um, your guys could track us all the way here?”

“Oh, absolutely,” Maddie scoffs. “Now, grin like I’ve told you something that shouldn’t be said in public.”

The smirk he gets at that is stupidly sexy, and Maddie scowls, irritated that just the upturn of his lips warms her and distracts her from what she should be doing. “No, not like that.”

Henry, the little shit, clearly knows what’s happening. “What? Why not?”

“You know why not.” She starts walking faster.

“I don’t think I do, Mad. I am new to this whole ‘going on the run’ thing. I think you’d better explain to me why I shouldn’t do that.”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s distracting. Happy?”

Henry grins. “Very.”

\---

As they’re nearing the end of the week Maddie had allotted for staying in Seattle, Henry’s doubts begin to creep in again. He worries about what they’ll do when they can’t afford to stay more than a day in one place. How could that possibly be healthy for Maddie, who has a growing baby to think about?

He tells himself that she’s a spy-- she’ll be fine. But that brings up a question that hasn’t even occurred to him. If she’s a spy, what else has she done?

For a while, Henry lies next to her, a pit growing in his stomach as he thinks about how much he doesn’t know about the woman he loves. Although it’s late, he knows he won’t be able to rest until he’s talked to Maddie about it.

“Maddie?”

She rolls over to face him. “What’s the matter, Henry?”

“Uh…” he swallows. “Um, what sort of stuff did you do, as a spy?”

“Well…” she’s silent for a few minutes. “I did a lot of things that you would think are horrible. And- and they were, sometimes. I killed people just because I was told to. I slept with men I barely knew to get them to tell me something, do something for me, give me something.” She smiles slightly, but even in the dark, he can tell it doesn’t reach her eyes. “It sounds a little cliche, I know.”

Henry takes her hand, but rolls to stare at the ceiling. “Were you still doing all of that stuff while you were in Santa Barbara with me?”

“Well, yes and no.” A pause. “I was working for R-Co, and reporting back to them, and acting on their orders… but not entirely. I wasn’t supposed to get attached to you, let alone fall in love.”

“Were you working other jobs at the same time?”

“No. You were my mission, Henry.”

“So-” he almost hates to voice his fears, but he needs to know. “So the baby is definitely mine?”

“Yes!" Maddie sounds almost shocked. Henry winces. “Yes, Henry, of course, I promise.”

“I know, I know,” he soothes. “I believe you. I trust you.”

She snuggles under his arm. “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.”

“Maddie, you could have easily killed me last week, but you didn’t. Instead of saving yourself, you explained yourself to me. Instead of running to where no one would find you, you took me with you. You kept me safe.” He pulls her close and kisses her hair. “I trust you. I love you.”

“Oh, Henry,” she sighs. “How did I get so lucky?”

“I think you deserve a little luck, Mad.” He buries his face in her neck. “I love you. G’night.”

“Goodnight, Henry. I love you too.”

\---

Maddie should have known a full week would be too much time.

If they had left just yesterday, even one day earlier, they would have been fine. They could’ve ditched the identities, changed up their looks, grabbed a car, and gotten out. But no, she’d just _had_ to get cocky, just _had_ to decide that Henry should be eased into life on the run. God, why had she taken that risk?

“We gotta move,” she murmurs lowly, as they stride down the sidewalk. “We’ll take the subway; no way we can risk a car now.”

“The couple at our eight o’clock?” Henry guesses. Maddie nods quickly. “Yep. Roman and Robertson. I’m glad I wore a hoodie today; if I hadn’t, they would already be on us.”

“Busy station entrance next block,” Henry notes. “We could easily get lost in the crowd.”

“Yeah. Shame it isn’t rush hour… this’ll have to do.”

Maddie pulls Henry along, down the stairs into the station and then onto a car just pulling in. They head for the back end of it, and Maddie watches the doors nervously for Roman or Robertson. The doors slide closed, the car starts moving, and they’re in the clear.

Henry sighs in relief. Maddie squeezes his hand. Then, she feels a tap on her shoulder.

“Hey, Baker,” Genevieve says cheerfully. “Long time no see.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter next week! That'll be fun!


	16. Showdown (Run.)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie and Henry face off against R-Co.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> about to take my trigonometry midterm wish me luck

Maddie takes ten seconds to size up the area, looking both for an escape and for advantages or disadvantages, should it come down to a fight. The biggest issue is that it’s a moderately crowded subway car-- if things get out of hand, there will be a lot of witnesses.

“Hey, Flanders,” she says casually, “fancy seeing you here.”

“What are you playing at, Madeleine?” Gen folds her arms. “You’re smart. You know you can’t get away. Why would you even try?”

Maddie doesn’t take the bait, only moving between Henry and Genevieve. She steps forward, letting her legitimate shock and fear show on her face despite years of training it not to. “I-- I…” she swallows hard, knowing that everything about her right now projects fear, even desperation. Gen might not fully buy it, but she doesn’t need her to. She watches carefully as her old friend folds her arms and raises her eyebrows, unsympathetic. The moment Maddie knows she’s let her guard down, she leaps.

Her fist goes straight into Gen’s face, blood spraying from her now-broken nose. Then, she grabs Henry, and runs for the next subway car. They dash along the train, Maddie tracking the stations and trying to figure out how long they had until the next stop. But she can’t move fast enough.

Of course R-Co would send more than three agents after them. In a big city like Seattle, they probably have dozens of people ready to act. _What was I thinking, trying to hide here?_

Maddie might be able to fight the five or six chasing them right now, but she doesn’t want to. Injuries make her easier to find, because she’s more noticeable and not as fast. And especially now… she’s never thought herself the maternal type, but already she desperately wants to protect her baby.

“We have to run,” she says to Henry, dragging him into yet another car. “The second we get to the next station, get out and run. Find a noticeable landmark, and then find some place inconspicuous nearby. I’ll find you. Just run.”

“I’m not leaving you,” he protests, holding tighter to her hand.

Maddie shakes her head. “I’ll be right with you, I promise. Blending in with crowds is the best way for us to lose them, at least right now. It won’t be more than fifteen minutes apart.”

Henry nods, then pulls her towards him. “I love you,” he says, quickly kissing her temple.

As the train pulls into the station, Maddie presses up against the doors of the subway car. She counts at least four agents who’ll get to them the same time the doors open. She’s probably going to have to fight someone to get out of here. Taking a deep breath, she nods. “I love you too.”

The doors open, the agents converge, and Henry shoves her out of the car. She lets go of his hand, but can see him behind her. _I need to lose him to lose R-Co,_ she thinks.

Changing direction, she dashes deeper into the station.

\---

When Maddie heads further into the subway station, Henry’s first instinct is to follow her. A split second later, he remembers what she’d said about splitting up. He swallows hard and dashes up the stairs, wishing he knew how to spot the Roshton agents. He doesn’t think he can see anyone following him right now, but then again, he’s much more focused on running…

When he hits the street, bursting into the daylight, Henry allows himself a moment to breathe. Find a landmark, Maddie had said, and then blend. Henry can blend.

There’s a park just across the street, with a statue visible in the middle of it. It also has gardens and walking paths, and lots of people. Henry heads toward it, but just outside the gate, he stops.

A figure in a thick coat leans heavily against the fence. His breathing sounds labored. Henry approaches him slowly, mindful of his situation but also concerned about someone who needs his help. “Hey, are you alright?”

“Just fine,” growls the hooded figure. He whirls around and grabs Henry by the throat, too quick for him to react. At least three more agents soon join them, one spraying Henry with some sort of sedative gas.

Before he passes out, Henry recognizes the man as the first perp they’d bagged in the Roshton case.

The one Maddie had broken out of jail.

\---

Losing Henry had worked well. A little too well. Now, Maddie is pacing a local park, searching the strolling families and jogging athletes for her… boyfriend? She’s not quite sure, but now isn’t the time to be pondering the specifics of their relationship. She needs to find Henry, and quickly, before any R-Co agents show up. Come to think of it, she should have seen some already… the park is just outside the station, and her doubling back had been a rudimentary confusion tactic. They should be all over her by now.

_If I were Henry,_ she thinks, _where would I go?_

There’s a playground maybe a hundred yards down a path to her right. He wouldn’t be there; he’d know it might put innocent kids in danger. In fact, he’d probably try actively to get away from the area.

Maddie takes a left, searching for anything that might have caught Henry’s eye. She can only hope R-Co doesn’t know him as well as she does.

Finally, after almost ten minutes, she spots a hot dog cart. Smiling triumphantly to herself, she heads toward it, making sure to take an inefficient, curving path.

“Hello,” she says cheerfully to the vendor, her eyes searching the nearby benches for Henry. “I would like a… chili dog, with relish, please.” She doesn’t know why the hell she’d chosen that-- it sounds absolutely disgusting-- but it looked enticing and she’s suddenly very hungry. _Focus, Baker,_ she tells herself.

The vendor squints at her. “You trying to meet up with friends?”

“Um…” it’s possible Henry might have talked to this guy, it’s a clever move, she wouldn’t put it past him… “yes.”

He hands her a slip of paper with her chili dog. “This is for you, I guess.”

Maddie thanks him and steps away from the cart, chewing her hot dog and opening the note.

It’s not from Henry; in fact, she instantly recognizes Roman’s handwriting.

_Looking for someone? You shouldn’t have left him behind… we want you back, or he dies._

Suddenly, she’s not hungry anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> plot twist!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


	17. Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maddie has to get Henry back, at any cost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did a dive I've been rly scared to do today and I'm v proud of myself

Henry wakes up slowly, noticing a few things at a time. First, he feels cold. Cold, and exposed, like he’d fallen asleep somewhere that wasn’t his bed. Shortly after this, he realizes his head hurts. He can’t pinpoint an injury, and in fact, his whole body feels achy. Maybe he’s coming down with something. Yeah, that makes sense-- he’s got a cold, or a flu, or something, and he’s fallen asleep on the couch. Maybe Maddie has left a window open, and that’s why he’s chilly.

Maddie.

Thinking of her disrupts the scenario Henry’s conjured for himself. Thoughts of Maddie bring back a whirlwind of guns, hours on empty roads, night curled up in hotels. They’re not in Santa Barbara anymore. 

This realization allows Henry to wake up more, feeling cold, hard concrete under his back and seeing a dark stone ceiling above him. He doesn’t know where he is, or how he’d gotten there. With a groan, he pushes himself up.

“Shit.”

\---

Maddie paces the park for an hour, her mind working overtime as she scans her surroundings. But the people are just people, out for a jog or to get some fresh air. No one is carrying any sort of weapon, aside from a few cops she dares not get too close too. There are no familiar faces in the crowd. 

R-Co wants her to come to them, and it looks like that’s what she’ll have to do.

The note doesn’t specify a time limit, but still, Maddie can’t imagine they’ll keep Henry alive for long. Actually, seeing as they wanted him dead to begin with, they probably won’t keep him alive at all. But she can’t just leave him to die; she has to rescue him, even if she knows it’s a trap.

She gives herself twelve hours. By the time she accepts the park is empty, she’s already spent one. Determined not to waste any more time, Maddie breaks into a run.

\---

It doesn’t take her long to find an empty building in the back of an alleyway, the door barred shut but the window smashed. Once she gets there, she begins an inventory of the supplies in her backpack. She’ll leave it here, take only essentials, but first, she has to know what the essentials _are._

Two small handguns, with a full ammo clip and an extra for each. Check.

A set of knives, ranging from one that may as well be a small saw to one that looks like a sharpened nail file. They’ll fit inside her jacket. Check.

Leather jacket, to hide the knives, and act as a rudimentary body armor. Check.

She’s already dressed for walking. She doesn’t need any sort of ID, though she’ll take her phone to help her find Henry. Carrying a backpack will only slow her down. Fifty bucks in tens should keep her fed and hydrated until she finds Henry, or dies trying.

Maddie double and triple-checks everything, then hides her bag in the alley outside. Taking a few deep breaths, she stretches herself out, then sets off down the street.

Ready or not, she’s got no time to waste.

\---

Henry paces his small cell, the chain attached to the bars rattling as he walks. There’s a vent above his head blowing cold air, but it’s far too small for him to fit through, even if he could get the cuff off of his leg. The bars are in a grid, preventing him from squeezing through. The walls, too, are solid and unbreakable; his bleeding and possibly broken knuckles can attest to that. It’s vividly clear that he has no escape route, at least, not on his own.

Still, even if Maddie is his only way out of here, he hopes she doesn’t come. He hopes she runs, runs far away from R-Co and their dangerous schemes, runs until she finds somewhere safe for her and the baby, like they’d planned. She can have a good life, and raise their child happily. It won’t include him, but of she’s safe, he can die happy. Henry knows she’ll try to find him, try to save him, but right now, imagining her and their baby living safely far away from here is the only comfort he has left.

“I love you, Mad,” he says to the empty cell. “Stay safe. Please, stay safe.”

\---

Maddie knows where the Seattle R-Co base is. She could try to sneak into the basement, where Henry is doubtlessly chained up in a cell, but that’s what she’ll be expected to do, she knows. What they won’t be expecting is for her to walk in the front door.

She strides through, delivering the code word to the agent working the front. She makes it halfway down the first hallways before someone notices her. When he does, sh simply raises an eyebrow and continues on her way.

In this fashion, she makes it three floors down, and she only needs to get five. When she passes a security agent who reaches for an earpiece when he sees her, she simply knocks him out and grabs his keys. Then, she takes off down the halls at a run.

By the time she reaches the jail level, ‘affectionately’ called the dungeon, she knows there are at least a dozen agents after her. She’ll have to work fast, then, to get Henry free and give them any chance at escape. God, she hopes they haven’t tortured him.

As she hurries further into the cell block, she hears a gasp, and then her name. “Maddie!” Henry calls out, in a rather panicked whisper. “God, what are you doing here?”

“Rescuing you, of course,” she tells him, the hint of a smile playing at her lips.

“What? Maddie, this isn’t safe! You could get hurt! Our baby--”

She presses a finger to his lips. “I’m rescuing you, Henry. I’m here already, and I’m getting you out of here. End of discussion.” With that, she begins unlocking the door, ever mindful of the sounds of footsteps above them.

“Do you have a key for the cuff?” Henry asks as she kneels at his feet.

Maddie examines the key ring. “No…” it takes her under a second to come up with a plan. _What the hell, they know where we are anyway._ “Stand back.”

“What?”

Deciding that he’s sufficiently far away from where the chain is thickest, she draws her pistol and shoots. The links sever, and she grabs his hand and pulls him out of the cell.

“Where do we go from here?” Henry asks, panting with adrenaline.

“Tunnels,” Maddie breathes. “They go under the whole city. R-Co uses them, but if we take enough turns, not even their best will be able to find us.”

Henry looks nervous. “Will we be able to find our way out?”

The chances of them escaping are much higher than those of them being trapped forever… probably. “Of course,” Maddie says with a smile. “Now come on.”

No sooner have they dropped into a tunnel than she hears the door above them creak open. Maddie takes Henry’s hand and grins. “Ready for a new adventure?”

He shakes his head. “You scare me sometimes. But yeah, I guess.”

Hand in hand, they race off into the dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> things are looking up!


End file.
